Adrien English Mysteries 4: Death of a Pirate King is Josh Lanyon’s fourth novel featuring writer/bookseller Adrien English. Readers will definitely appreciate this story more if they read the previous three Adrien English mysteries first.

Adrien English is a bookseller who writes mystery novels in his spare time. When the rights to his novel Murder Will Out are optioned for a movie, a string of events begins that will once again plunge Adrien into the very heart of a murder mystery. At his very first Hollywood party, Adrien’s dinner companion and producer of his book’s movie drops dead in his soup, a victim of poisoning, and who else should arrive from the police to investigate but his former lover Jake Riordan. It has been two years since Adrien last saw Jake, and they did not part on the best of terms. Adrien still feels the pain of abandonment and betrayal brought on by Jake’s defection.

Unable to bear his curiosity, Adrien begins to quietly investigate the producer’s murder. This time, he has the grudging support of Jake. He is also in the unenviable position of being a suspect in the murder and is therefore under the police magnifying glass himself. Relying on his instincts and following a trail of suppositions, Adrien navigates the strange landscape of Tinseltown. And when he finally comes face-to-face with the truth, it appears that Jake may be both his best ally and his greatest enemy.

Death of a Pirate King continues Josh Lanyon’s series of mysteries with another well-written and captivating tale featuring his amateur sleuth Adrien English. Having just completed the previous story The Hell You Say, I honestly didn’t see how this story could possibly maintain the same high standards. I was wrong Death of a Pirate King is, if possible, even better. The mystery is engrossing and suspenseful, and the emotional impact of the story packs a wallop as well. Adrien is an endearing character, and while he is incredibly intelligent, he holds himself emotionally away from those he loves and those who care for him. The only time he really seems happy is when he is elbow-deep in his investigations and is annoying the stuffing out of his ex-lover Jake. We witnessed the painful breakup of Adrien and Jake in the previous story. Now that Jake is back, we can’t help but wonder what the future holds for these two. Jake is by no means a likeable character, but he may surprise readers a bit in this story.

It is without any reservations that I support Death of a Pirate King as a Recommended Read. This story has an almost heart-stopping climax that will satisfy even the most jaded of mystery lovers. It would be a crime not to read it.

Reviewed by: Whitney